Japan's sales of domestic passenger electric vehicle (EVs) continued to rise in June, albeit at a slower pace, partly because no light passenger EV models were launched since June 2022.
Japan's domestic EV sales totalled around 7,900 units in June, up by 41.5pc on the year and by 21.3pc from May, according to preliminary data from industry groups the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association. This compares with May domestic EV sales that more than tripled on the year.
The slower growth left the share of EVs in total domestic passenger car sales unchanged on the month at 2.4pc, although this was 0.3 percentage points higher on the year.
Light passenger vehicles have been leading the market since two EV models were introduced in May and June 2022, but the effect of this on sales seems to be dimming.
Light or mini cars are defined as vehicles with a length, height and width of less than 3.4m, 2m and 1.48m respectively and an engine capacity below 0.66 litres, which is the Japanese standard.
The slower year-on-year growth in sales may continue until new EV models enter the market. Toyota unveiled an EV production strategy in April, aiming to introduce 10 new EV line-ups and sell 1.5 mn/yr of EVs globally by 2026. Fellow domestic carmakers Honda and Subaru also announced in April and May respectively that they would launch four EV models each in the Japanese market sometime between 2024 and 2026, without disclosing any specific timing.
